Naughty and Nice
by serene-revival
Summary: Sasusaku, light-hearted romantic comedy, generic filler timeline, with some fluff. Further chapters pending reviews and inspiration. (If any)rnSummary proper: Sasuke discovers that he isn't able to remain emotionless in every situation.
1. Towels

Disclaimer: I don't owe Naruto. Yada, yada, yada.

"Another D-rank mission?!"

Naruto, the overly ambitious under aged ninja exclaimed in irritation.

"Please don't tell me we're to help a nursery center baby-sit again, or worse still, scrape gum off the pavements!"

Kakashi raised an eyebrow, and smiled.

"It's nothing like that. Today's D-rank mission is relatively easy. We'll just have to go to the hot springs area, and pick up the litter there, scrape algae off the walls, clean the facilities, and…"

_Easy? Relatively?_

Team 7 exchanged looks of dismay. Today was going to be a long day.

10 hours later, a fatigued trio dragged their feet to the front door, where Kakashi awaited them for the successful completion of their mission.

"Good work! You guys are some really hardworking young genins!"

_Who spent the whole day reading Icha Icha Paradise instead of helping out?_

Naruto was too fatigued to voice out his discontent, which was unlike the typical him.

The sour looks on Sasuke and Sakura's faces were worth a thousand words, as the saying goes.

"Well, come on. I have a surprise for you all! Since everybody's so tired, I begged for a favor, so you guys can unwind and relax at the springs free of charge for tonight!"

"Better than nothing." Sasuke turned and began to trudge to the changing room.

Sakura naturally followed suit in Sasuke's footsteps, and Naruto went along, just not to be left out.

_Oh well, time to submit the mission report. I'll come back for the free session, I mean those kids later. _Kakashi smiled to himself, and vanished in typical jounin style.

Sakura leaned back on the side of the spring, enjoying her unwinding process.

This is so nice.. but it's utterly boring! I'm the only user here since the springs were closed for the day. Oh well..

_I wonder how Sasuke-kun and Naruto are doing over the other side?_

Struck by a sudden burst of –insight-, Sakura realised "_If not for that extra bit named Naruto, I could have been alone with Sasuke-kun in the hot spring if I went over to join him now! SHANNARO! Damn Naruto_."

Over the other side of the tall bamboo fence, Naruto sneezed.

"Did you just say something bad about me, Uchiha moron?"

"Who can be bothered with you, idiot? Go home if you're going to catch your death from cold."

"And leave you alone here with Sakura-chan? You sly, conniving, closet pervert!" Naruto made quite a show of emphasizing his statement by hurling a handful of water at Sasuke.

Sly, conniving, closet pervert?

Sasuke was contemplating whether to go for his kunai in the changing room, or to settle for a fire jutsu, when the mental image of being with Sakura together in a hot spring came into his mind.

_No! I'm not like that!_

He hoped Naruto didn't see him blush through the mist.

Not long after, Sasuke felt sleepy. It had been a long day, after all.

"Dead last, I'm going to get changed now."

He heard Naruto's faint snore over the other side of the spring, and decided that it was enough of a reply.

Securing the towel around his waist as he made his way to the changing room, he grumbled to himself as the waterlogged towel kept threatening to slide down enough to cause a faux pas.

_Maybe it would help if I tied it around my chest like what Sakura would do_..

The mental image of Sakura lounging in a hot spring clad only in a towel came back to his mind unbidden.

_Oh, damn it. Think of something else, you Uchiha moron. Tomatoes, Itachi, tomatoes, Itachi, tomatoes_..

His eyes closed in an attempt to shut out that uncharacteristically amorous thought; Sasuke took a wrong turn, and headed into the wrong changing area.

Weird. I swore I left my stuff here. And that idiot's stuff was over there too. Why does this place look so unfamiliar?

Wait a minute. That pink bag belongs to.. and if it's here.. then.. must be.. Damn.

Butterflies running amok in his stomach, Sasuke turned around to see a petrified Sakura finish wrapping her towel around herself hastily, as she was in the midst of changing when Sasuke.. walked in.

Perhaps shapeshifting to look like a girl would be a good idea now.

"Sa..suke-kun? You wa..nted to look.. for me?"

"Not.. really. I just took.. a wrong turn." The words tumbled out of Sasuke's mouth automatically. Knowing himself, it was a personal rarity.

"Oh.. ok then." Unable to maintain eye contact any longer, Sakura dropped her gaze before blushing furiously.

Like a ripe tomato.

Before he could embarrass himself any further, Sasuke fled.

After Sasuke left, Sakura looked up, and turned her gaze to where he stood just now.

Did he do it on purpose? No.. he wouldn't. I've never seen him look so.. uncertain before. Maybe it was just really a wrong turn.. but what if it wasn't?

Sakura giggled.

Perhaps I should barge into him now to return the favor.. Ino will be so mad if she hears about this!

_Damn, damn, damn. What a bad day._

Furious, Sasuke mentally admonished himself as he changed into his clothing. In the correct place this time, of course.

If this is puberty, I HATE puberty.

Exiting the changing area when he was done, Sasuke bumped into Sakura at the common corridor, who happened to exit her changing area at the same time.

Unable to muster any words, Sasuke made his way to the exit, with Sakura behind him.

Unspoken words whirled frantically in their minds.

_Perhaps Sasuke-kun is mad that I didn't make the first move, like what I always do?_

Sakura generally barked up the wrong tree.

Why isn't she killing me the way she hits Naruto whenever that idiot accidentally touches her? I didn't touch her, but that was equally bad, if not worse. Is she waiting for my apology? Is she going to tell Kakashi? I'm going to be laughed around town for this. What can I do to make it up for her? Damn it, it's that Naruto's fault, implanting those ideas in my head, that's why I walked into the wrong room, whilst trying not to think of..

_Sakura. _

Deciding to get the explanation and apology over and done with in his direct style, Sasuke abruptly turned around, and saw Sakura looking at him coyly, with a shy half-smile on her lips, her cheeks tinted red with a blush.

Not good.

"Erm.. Sakura? About just now.."

"Sasuke-kun?" The sickeningly sweet tone of voice woke the horde of butterflies in Sasuke's stomach again.

Fighting to maintain his normal stoic and unbothered look, Sasuke continued

"I'm sorry for what I did just now."

"It's ok, you don't have to apologize, and anyway, you know something?"

"What?"

"You really should fasten your towel tighter next time."

Sakura giggled and looked away.

Sasuke spaced out for a moment, mercifully.

It was Sakura's turn to shrivel with severe embarrassment when Kakashi turned a corner and walked by them, with every indication that he overheard their conversation. Unable to resist a taunt, Kakashi mouthed to his love-struck and love-weary students.

"Pink hair matches the Uchiha fan well."

He then made his way into the changing area.

Sakura realized that "mortified" wasn't good enough to describe her feelings, and Sasuke had already exceeded his tolerance for feeling mortified in the female dressing area earlier.

Kakashi's final instruction for the day reached their ears through the walls.

"Sasuke, send Sakura home. It's dark now. No excuses permitted."

Thankfully, the walk home for the couple was uneventful, apart from a somber-faced Uchiha and a blushing Haruno, which was pretty typical of them anyway.

Lying on his bed later after reaching home, Sasuke found himself unable to fall asleep despite the tiring mission they had earlier on that day. Usually, he would mentally revise seal forming in his mind until he fell asleep, but somehow, the _close_ encounter with Sakura earlier was disrupting his regime with emotions he never felt before in his twelve years of life.

She looks so adorable when she's shy.

No! She's just my teammate, my comrade in battle, my..

I still have goals to reach for, no time for this romance crap.

Itachi, tomato, Itachi, tomato, Itachi, tomato, Itachi, tomato, Sakura, Sakura?

Sasuke fell asleep and dreamt of Sakura that night.

Snug between the covers of her comfortable bed, Sakura gazed out of her window at the moonlit sky, relieving every sweet moment she spent with her beloved that day.

I've never seen him so shy before.

I wonder if he's annoyed at me for telling him about his towel?

I shouldn't expect too much from this.. after all, he's not going to love me just because he saw me clad in only a towel. At least, he had not better.

-smile-

Perhaps he'll notice me more from now.. he can't really be that oblivious to girls?

He did blush just now..

You're naughty, Sasuke-kun.

Sakura fell asleep with happy thoughts, and dreamt of Sasuke that night, which she did quite often anyway.


	2. Revelations

Disclaimer: I don't owe Naruto, nor Sasuke, nor Sakura, nor Kakashi, not even Tonton, nor the blade of grass in that corner during Episode 3.

Lying on his side, Sasuke's eyes opened suddenly as the first sunrays of dawn shone upon his face

_What a disturbing dream about a certain pink haired girl. Thankfully I woke up before it got worse._.

_Today's an off day for the team. I think.. I'll practice my fireball technique then._

Poor Sasuke didn't really have much of a social life, you see.

He winced as aches erupted all over his body when he got out of bed.

_Stupid hot spring cleaning mission. _

He stuffed a quick breakfast in his mouth, changed out of his pajamas, and went off for his daily training.

On another side of town, a certain pink haired girl was giggling and mumbling in bed, apparently dreaming aloud.

_Mmm.. Sasuke-kun, darling. Can't you be gentler?_

Sakura hugged her bolster tighter and giggled again.

Listening in at the door, Sakura's mother couldn't bear to interrupt her daughter's sweet dream.

It was almost noon.

Sasuke gasped for breath as he released his umpteenth fireball, and tried to combine it with a taijutsu and shruiken attack.

_This is hard, but I can't depend on Chidori all the time._

His stomach rumbled.

_Shut up, stomach. Blame Itachi. _

The next fireball that came out of his mouth was so small; it could barely light a candle.

_-sigh- _

_I think I'll get some lunch then, before I go read up on that ninjutsu book in the library later._

Sakura finally concluded her dream, and deigned to wake up.

_What's the time now? Oh damn.. I overslept again. Thankfully I didn't have to meet the team today_.

Groaning as she realized that there wasn't any food in the house. Being too lazy to cook, she headed out for a meal.

_Hmm.. What shall I do today? _

Naturally, as fate would have it, Sasuke bumped into Sakura on the street whilst they were looking for lunch.

_Uh-oh._

"Sasuke-kun! Join me for lunch, pretty please?"

"No, I've just eaten."

Sakura's eager face faded into disappointment, something Sasuke saw rather regularly, since he was usually the main cause of it.

Brushing aside the inner tingle of guilt over rejecting Sakura's invitation again, he was about to continue on his way when his stomach played Judas for the second time that day by announcing it's discontent with a huge growl.

_DAMN. I hate you, stomach. You Itachi-incarnate._

Sakura didn't take more than a second to realize that Sasuke lied about eating. Genuine sorrow began to pervade her expression.

_Perhaps last night's incident was really an accident after all. Or perhaps.. he hates me more than ever for it._

The inner tingle of guilt in Sasuke grew ten-fold.

_She's annoying, but I didn't have to lie. That was.. unnecessarily nasty of me. It's not as if she has wronged me. Oh dear.._

"I was joking. Let's go for lunch? I do need to work on improving my teamwork." Sasuke forced the words out of his mouth before Sakura ran away in tears.

_Great. Did I just invite her to eat with me? Oh well.. At least she isn't just another fan girl_.

Unaware of what his own train of thought implied, he awaited Sakura's reply without allowing any expression to creep onto his face, as usual.

For her credit, Sakura wasn't dumb enough to mistake Sasuke's invitation as anything more than a half-hearted attempt to placate her.

_He isn't that cold after all.. at least, I know he has a conscience now._

"Sure, Sasuke-kun."

It took some effort for her to smile with her reply, as they began to walk down the street together.

The thin slices of meat sizzled furiously on the grill. Sasuke just looked blandly at the grill, something that reminded the waitresses in the BBQ restaurant of their favorite customer, Chouji, apart from the missing predatory glint in Sasuke's eyes. Sasuke's face was devoid of any expression.. on the outside, that is. Inside his mind, thought trains were circulating as normal.

_How would tomato taste like when barbequed? _

_Those waitresses are sure looking at me funny. I hope they don't get the wrong idea and start a rumor about Sakura and me being an item._

Sasuke had no idea he was the peculiar one where the waitresses were concerned.

_I don't really like barbequed meat. Why am I here?_

_I don't like the idea of Sakura cooking everything for me either, but should I tell her that I have no idea how to barbeque meat? I don't want her to laugh at me._

Sitting opposite Sasuke, Sakura looked contented and happy as she flipped the pieces of meat over on the grill.

_Well, at least I'm with Sasuke-kun._

_Isn't he going to help me to cook the meat slices?_

_That lazy bum.. he expects me to cook everything for him just because I love him?_

_Wait a minute.. isn't cooking something housewives are supposed to do for their husbands? Perhaps he thinks of me as.. _

_DAMN RIGHT YEAH! LOVE PREVAILS! Inner Sakura_

Sakura resisted the urge to leap over the table and hug Sasuke, but she couldn't help but blush furiously.

Sasuke noticed her blushing, but shrugged it off. It happened often around him.

_Would Sharingan enable me to learn how to barbeque meat? This is getting embarrassing_.

Unfortunately for our budding couple, they never realized that the BBQ restaurant was a favorite hangout of Team 10's. Well, at least, they would soon, as Ino, Shikamaru, and Chouji made their way into the restaurant for lunch too.

"YAYY!" went Chouji.

"Does this really make you so happy? I'm so preoccupied with having to watch my weight.." Ino moaned to no one in particular, as Shikamaru decided to get to his seat fast, for he was getting tired.

"Isn't that Sakura? Ooh, she's going out with a date with a guy who's not Sasuke! That two-timing forehead!"

Noticing Sakura but not realizing who her companion was, simply because Ino couldn't comprehend how Sakura would be able to pry Sasuke out for a date all of a sudden, Ino began to make her way over to the unsuspecting duo.

The more perceptive Shikamaru hazarded an accurate guess that Sakura's companion was Sasuke, simply because he spotted part of the Uchiha crestpopping outover the seat on Sasuke's back.

Chouji was already starting to grill meat slices.

Wishing to avoid an unnecessary fracas in the restaurant, Shikamaru tried to restrain Ino from going over.

He wasn't fast enough, though.

"Sakura! I didn't realize you would go out with another guy apart from Sasuke-kun! You are one desperate forehead-girl!"

Ino had already launched her opening salvo at her friendly rival.

"Huh?"

Startled from her train of thought about being Mrs Uchiha Sakura, Sakura just looked up dumbly.

"So who's the mystery guy you're dating? Let's have a look at… Sasuke-kun?"

To put it simply, Ino's expression was priceless.

Sasuke glanced up to showcase his annoyed expression, before returning to view the meat slices on the grill.

Astute enough to know when to leave Sasuke alone, Ino stuck out her tongue at Sakura, who returned the gesture, before she allowed Shikamaru to drag her back to their seats.

"Sasuke-kun, these slices are ready!"

Sakura piled most of the meat slices she cooked onto Sasuke's bowl, whilst taking only a few for herself.

_Is she trying to stuff me with food? _

Sasuke raised an eyebrow.

"You should keep more for youself. You cooked all of them."

"It's okay! I don't mind, really!"

"I don't want to owe you anything."

Slightly put off by the cold reply, Sakura pressed on.

"So why didn't you cook anything? You don't like meat?"

"No. I don't know how to."

_Darn. She didn't need to know that._

Avoiding the urge to raise an eyebrow or two, as Sasuke hardly mentioned about things he _couldn't_ do, Sakura attempted to gloss over his unexpected reply with a joke.

"Well, you could always feed me if you want to make up for it!"

_That's a good idea. If only it was so easy to even repay debts to others._

Obviously, Sasuke wasn't too aware of the social implications of such an act, as Sakura found Sasuke extending a slice of meat on his chopsticks near her mouth before she could reflect on the possible negative consequences of her last sentence.

Surprised and happy, Sakura gladly allowed herself to be fed. Needless to be said, she blushed tremendously, whilst fighting the urge to burst with joy.

"Look, that couple is so sweet!"

"He's feeding her! I never knew the Uchiha had a soft spot for anyone, much less that pink haired girl."

"They're such a match, he looks so stoic whilst she's about to melt!"

"I'm so envious of that girl! I wish I was her.."

Sasuke momentarily frowned in both confusion and annoyance.

_What's so special about feeding another person? Why can't they mind their own business anyway?_

Sakura was still in a state of absolute bliss.

Given Sasuke's intelligence, Sakura's state of absolute bliss, and the hushed whispers of the other people in the restaurant, it didn't take him too long to figure out that feeding Sakura was something platonic teammates wouldn't do.

_I didn't mean it that way. Damn, she's going to think that I'm in love with her, and she's going to cling onto me even more._

_Wait a minute. She's still going to cling onto me either way. Oh well.. I should have done this in private. Damn those busybodies anyway. I won't allow their opinion to affect me._

Over the other side of the restaurant, Ino was wishing she was somewhere private too, so she could space out and foam at the mouth as the image of Sasuke feeding Sakura ran on an endless loop in her mind.

Shikamaru kept an alert eye for porcine aviators, whilst Chouji stopped eating, which was a statement by itself.

"Ino? You ok?" Shikamaru probed cautiously.

"Don't worry, Ino. Shikamaru can feed you too if you want. That might invoke Sasuke's jealousy?" Chouji couldn't resist it.

Ino and Shikamaru's death glares marked the end of conversation amongst Team 10 for the next half hour.

After finishing their food, the odd couple sat back and relaxed.

"So, Sasuke-kun, where shall we go later?"

"I'm going to train."

_What's with that question? I deign to accompany her for lunch once, and she's trying to cling onto me for the rest of the day already._

Sakura stared at her empty cup of tea.

_Am I pushing my luck? She asked herself quietly._

With the veil of silence between them on their table once again, chatter from the tables behind them began to reach their ears.

"Did you read the latest romance novel that was just published by that guy named Ayi-jira? The guy who wrote Icha Icha Paradise too? There's this really hot steamy scene in a hot spring, where the main male character walks into the female changing area, when the main female character is there all alone!"

"Oh wow, really? That's so romantic!"

Upon hearing this disturbing parallel of last night's events, Sasuke and Sakura began to feel sick, both of them blushing in unison in the memory of last night's escapade.

The chatter of unsuspecting random background characters continued.

"What happened after that?"

"I don't know, the volume ended there and then."

"What a cliffhanger. Just to bait us into waiting for the next book. "

"Well, the author did bait us with this killer epilogue, mentioning about some old Fire Country custom."

"What custom?"

"You know, last time, a guy would have to marry a girl if he saw her dressed in.. well, very little."

"Very little?"

"Well, a towel or less?"

At the mention of _towel_, Sasuke's memory delighted in tormenting him with a visually enhanced flashback of an embarrassed Sakura clothed only in a hastily wrapped towel around where it mattered, embedded in his memory last night.

At the mention of _towel_, Sakura's memory delighted in tormenting her with a visually enhanced flashback of an embarrassed Sasuke clothed only in a hastily wrapped towel around where it mattered, embedded in her memory last night.

"There's no need to be embarrassed. I'm not expecting you to marry me, Sasuke-kun."

Sakura's statement surprised Sasuke, although he knew otherwise.

_She's more considerate than I thought._

"Ah."

Looking at Sakura across the table, Sasuke found himself mentally undressing Sakura, and beginning to attempt to visualize what lay beneath the towel.

_Just what was it about females that fascinated all those hopeless male adults, and some under aged wannabe perverts like that blonde dead last?_

_WHAT AM I DOING!_

_NO! I'm not like them!_

_Sakura isn't a.._

Sasuke had an idea of what a whore was, but he never learnt the term for it.

_She's my treasured companion! What kind of a bastard am I, to stoop to such lowly thoughts? She's more than a pretty face to me, she's my…_

Sasuke wasn't sure what word he knew would finish that last train of thought. He had an idea though, and that idea terrified him.

If Itachi was infront of him, Sasuke would have charged at him even if he knew it meant certain death for himself.

He wasn't afraid of much. Even the occasional nightmare of the day his clan died did nothing more than to fan the flames of his anger and desire for revenge. Blood, gore, pain, suffering, death failed to hold any terrors for him anymore.

Somehow, the idea of discovering what he exactly felt towards the pink haired girl opposite him now who adored him so much managed to frighten him. It was something new to him, something he never felt after being bugged all these years by his inane fan girls.

Sakura was an enemy to him, but not an enemy he could smite and kill with a kunai. Sakura could be turned away by a harsh word or two, but she never failed to return to his side, and it was getting harder and harder for him to utter a harsh word towards her nowadays, because it hurt him somewhat when the words rolled off his tongue.

The temptation of giving up his daily training regime to give in to her requests to hang out with her, who would stay by his side regardless of what he wanted to do, was growing stronger and stronger with each passing day.

Sakura was an enemy to his goal of working hard to gain power.

Sasuke suddenly realized, his goal of gaining power was also an enemy to him too. It denied him seeking happiness from being with Sakura.

He was human too, and he naturally wanted to be happy, even if he denied himself from showing or attaining it.

"Sasuke-kun?"

Sakura liked the idea of him gazing at her, but his intense silence for the past 2 minutes was getting rather unsettling.

_Such beautiful eyes, though._

"Ah?"

"I hope I didn't disturb you."

"No, you didn't. Let's leave now. We've finished our meal."


End file.
